Draft-equalizer.



F. C. BERTKE. DRAFT EQUALIZER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1912.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

WITNESSES W Altarneys THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHGV, WASHINGfoN, D. C.

FRANK C. IBERTKE, OF SGO'ITSBLUFF, NEBRASKA.

DRAFT-EQUALIZEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

Application filed November 21, 1912. Serial No. 732,723.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK C. BERTKE, citizen of the United States, residing at Scottsblutf. in the county of Scotts Bluff and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft- Equalizers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in draft equalizers, more particularly to devices of this character in which provision is made for coupling horses to a vehicle, agricultural implements, and the like, and has for one of its objects to improve the construction and increase the efficiency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed device which may be applied without material structural change to draft tongues of ordinary construction.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claim, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved device applied to the draft tongue and forward axle of a vehicle. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the forward portion of the draft tongue with the improvement applied. Fig. 4: is a section on the line 4l4= of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved device is adapted to be applied to the ordinary draft tongue and without change in construction of the same or the hounds or other portion of the vehicle. The body of the tongue is represented conventionally at 10 with the tongue hounds 11 at the rear end and engaging between the forward hounds 12 of the forward axle. The usual bolster 1% is pivoted to the forward axle by the usual king bolt 15. At its forward end the tongue is provided with the usual depending neck yoke engaging stop 16, and in the improved device this stop is provided with a guide ring 17, the object to be hereafter explained. Pivoted at tongue.

18 to the tongue 10 is an evener beam or double tree 19 supported and held in position by a keeper 20 of the usual construction.

Pivoted at 21 to the beam 19 at its ends are supplemental or equalizing beams 22. The beams 22 are pivoted intermediate their ends beneath the outer terminals of the evener beam 19 and are supported by keepers 23 and a brace 24. The brace is coupled by the pivot pins 21 at its outer ends to the evener beam 19 and receives the lower end of the pivot pin 18 whereby the brace 24; is firmly secured in position beneath the The parts are thus coupled and supported but free to swing upon the pivots 18 and 21. Swingle-trees 25 are coupled to the outer ends of the beams 22 by clips 26 so that the swingle-trees are free to swing relative to the beams 22. Connected to the beams 22 at their inner ends are rods 27 which are crossed beneath the tongue and extend forwardly through the ring I? which thus serves as a support and guide to the rods and at the same time leaves them free to move longitudinally.

The rods 27 are coupled at their forward ends to a small stub evener beam 28, and coupled by a clip 29 to the center of the stub evener beam is adouble-tree 30, the latter having swinglc-trees 81 connected thereto as shown. By this simple means it will be obvious that when four horses are coupled to the swingle-trees the draft will be equalized so that each horse exerts the same pulling force upon the draft tongue and the vehicle coupled thereto.

By crossing the rods 27 beneath the tongue it will be noted that the intermediate portions of the rods are withdrawn beneath the tongue so that they do not interfere with the legs of the wheel horses, while at the same time they effectually couple the equalizer beams of the rear double-tree to the stub beam in advance of the tongue.

It will be noted that the inner extremities of the equalizing beams 22 are turned downwardly, the inner end of each beam extending parallel to the body portion thereof and being disposed in a vertical plane therewith so that said extremities are brought into a position close to the under side of the draft tongue and, consequently, the rods 27 may extend forwardly under the tongue in substantially straight lines so that they are not apt to be distorted under the strain put upon them when in use. Moreover, the rods lie close to and under the draft tongue so that they are not apt to be broken by objects which may be dropped by the driver or from any other cause fall between the draft animals.

The improved device is simple in construc= tion, can be readily adapted to various sizes of vehicles and does not interfere ith the ordinary uses of the same.

Having thus described the invention, What I claim is:

The combination with a draft tongue, of an evener beam pivoted upon the upper side of the tongue, equalizer beams pivotally connected to the evener beam, each of said equalizer beams having their inner extremities turned downwardly to extend in a plane parallel With the body portion of the beam and in the same vertical plane therewith, the

'nner extremities of said beams being disposed adjacent the under face of the tongue,

swingle trees pivotally connected to the outer extremities of the equalizer beams, a guide ring carried by the tongue adjacent the for- Ward end thereof, rods pivotally connected to the inner ends of the equalizer beams,

said rods being crossed between their ends and extending beneath the tongue through said ring, a stub evener beam carried by the outer extremities of said rods forwardly of 30 the outer end of the tongue, a double-tree coupled to the stub evener beam, and Whiflie.

Washington, D. G,

flopies of this patent may be obtain d for an cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

